I Want To Save You
by ddollfacedd
Summary: Puck quickly takes notice that Quinn has hit a low after giving away Beth. Now's the time to do everything in his might to fix her and make her feel whole once again, even if that means getting his heart broken in the process.
1. Safe Bet

Quinn couldn't sleep anymore. It had become a nightly routine where she'd toss and turn instead of getting a full nights rest. Sometimes she would cry, others she'd scream into her pillow and punch her bed. The sleeping pills weren't even enough to help the blonde teenager. She maneuvered herself to sit on the edge of the bed and before going to her last resort, she sighed and tried to clear her head. Noah and The Whale wasn't going to sing her to sleep tonight, even though she prayed that it would come.

Tonight was the night that she decided to call the one guy she wished she could loathe for the rest of her life. Maybe he was going through the same motions as she was and maybe, together, they could fix what was happening.

She pulled her phone off of her dresser and fumbled with it in her hands before quickly scrolling through the contacts and finding his number. She knew she was going to regret this.

"Fabray," the deep voice on the other line mumbled.

"Puckerman," she greeted in the same tone. She bit her lip, knowing that she shouldn't have called. She wanted to back out now and hang up. If he questioned her at school, she could say that she was sleep walking and accidentally called him.

"If this is a late night booty-call, I'm sorry to tell you that the Puckzilla is in for the night." Annoyance filled Quinn's being knowing that he was smiling to himself, thinking that he comes off sly when really, all he comes off as is an idiot. She truly hated when he gave himself nicknames and talked in third-person.

"That's not why I'm calling," she sneered at him.

"Then explain why you're calling me at one-thirty in the morning, Quinn." He started to sound bored on the other end. She should just hang up and go on ignoring him, right? That would be the easier route.

"I can't sleep." Plain and simple. She shouldn't have to sit there and explain that since they gave up their daughter five months ago she hasn't been able to get a decent nights sleep. Her grades are dropping and it's only the second month of their junior year.

"There's a million other people you could be calling now." Quinn couldn't tell if this was stroking his ego a bit or if he was being an asshole, but his tone was full of cockiness.

"So?"

On the other line she heard shuffling and a large gulp before he decided to talk more. "I can't sleep either, Quinn." He sounded sorrowful, like he knew exactly what was going on. It made her feel comforted. "I'll be over in five?" Though his voice was still unfortunate, he didn't know what to do.

"Please." She sighed and they hung up. Quinn let her eyes swell up with tears before looking at herself in the mirror. She needed to decide if she was going to put real clothes on or go wherever with her ex in a pair of Cheerios sweats and a blank tank-top with one of Puck's old sweatshirts pulled over it. After a long decision, she came to the conclusion that Puck was the one person to see her at her least attractive when she was pregnant. Why would he care now? Better yet, why did she care at this moment?

Grabbing her keys and phone, she moved through her house in quiet and swift motions and slipped out the door completely undetected. Waiting out front was a black truck with its headlights turned off. He got there sooner than she had expected. Five minutes in Puck's world was another way of saying '_I'll be there when I feel like it._'

The first few minutes of being in the car together, there was nothing but choking silence. Quinn leaned her head against the window and let out a small, sharp breath. The boy took notice and looked over at her. He detected her pain and made a courageous move in placing her hand inside of his. Puck pulled into the parking lot of a park that is pretty much abandoned at this point of time. When they were younger, that's where everyone wanted to be. Now stands there as skeletal remains of a broken generation.

"You're going through the no sleep thing too, huh?" He asked her with a gentle voice, knowing that she was vulnerable right now. Quinn was trying her hardest to not bust out crying, weeping on his shoulder. Neither of them knew that giving up Beth would be so disastrous to the both of them.

"Ever since…" She trailed off, but he knew exactly what she was going to say. He had felt the same way. Every night he tried everything that he could to fall asleep - even boring things, like reading. Seeing Noah Puckerman with a book looked like a joke, but the joke was on him when not even that was boring enough to put him to sleep. The alcohol didn't work, nor did the sleeping pills. Hell, he even tried to cry it out a few times. Of course, no one but himself would know about that because he is Puck, but he tried. It didn't work. "I was hoping you'd be the same way," she admitted with a broken smile. This was so unlike Quinn.

"Come here," Puck whispered almost inaudibly while putting his arms out for her to lean back in. She accepted the gesture and kicked her feet up on the seats, leaning back so her head rested on his chest with his arms wrapped around her front. Hoping that it would go unnoticed, Puck softly kissed her head and kept his face slightly buried in her hair.

"Sing to me," she requested with a small childish grin on her face. He lifted his head and gazed down at her in confusion, but decided that he would do as asked.

"_If it makes you less sad, I will die by your hand. Hope you find out what you are; already know what I am. And if it makes you less sad, we'll start talking again. You can tell me how vile I already know that I am._" Quinn's heart ached more with every word and note that he softly belted out. "_I'll grow old, start acting my age; it'll be a brand new day in a life that you hate. A crown of gold, a heart that's harder than stone and it hurts to hold on, but only missed when it's gone._" Her eyes were filling with tears and she silently let them run down her face as he continued the song. "_Call me a safe bet, I'm betting I'm not. I'm glad that you can forgive, only hoping as time goes, you can forget. If it makes you less sad, I'll move out of this state. You can keep to yourself, I'll keep out of your way._" At this point, Puck could feel her body shake and tremble, but he kept his eyes closed tight because the sight of the radiant girl who was in his arms crying broke his heart. He didn't like it when she cried, especially when it was him who was causing it, so he stopped the song.

"No, no," Quinn choked out, "keep going."

Dreadfully, he carried on. "_And if it makes you less sad, I'll take your pictures all down. Every picture you paint, I will paint myself out. It's cold as a tomb, and it's dark in your room when I sneak to your bed to pour salt in your wounds. So call it quits or get a grip, you say you wanted a solution; you just wanted to be missed. Call me a safe bet, I'm betting I'm not. I'm glad that you can forgive, only hoping as time goes, you can forget. So you can forget, so you can forget._"

The words were so painfully accurate to their situation. It was exactly how he felt. The pain that she's feeling now was caused by him because he had to go accidentally knock her up with a precious bundle of joy. And being teenagers, they had to let her go. Quinn wanted to let her go, but Puck said he would do everything in his might in order for them to have a good life; he wanted them to be a family. A happy one, at that. He didn't want this, he didn't want to be sitting in his truck with a shattered Quinn in his arms while he sang to her the only song that was on his mind, the only song that felt fitting. At this point in time, he was willing to do anything to make her happy and less sad. If she wanted him to grow up, then grow up is what he would do in an instant. If she wanted him to move far, far away from Lima, then he'd do everything in his power to make that happen.

"_You are calm and reposed, let your beauty on unfold. Pale white, like the skin stretched over your bones. Spring keeps you ever close, you are second-hand smoke. You are so fragile and thin, standing trail for your sins, holding on to yourself the best you can. You are the smell before rain, you are the blood in my veins. Call me a safe bet, I'm betting I'm not. I'm glad that you can forgive, only hoping as time goes, you can forget._"

The song was over. The music that accompanied the song stopped inside of his head and it was back to nothing but the sound of Quinn's whimpering, hurtful cries. It was peculiar to Puck as to why she was even in his arms tonight, but he took what he could and he tried to calm her down, to soothe her and rock her slowly back and forth until the crying stopped. In the midst of it all, a tear slipped from Puck's eye. He hated to see her in such pain, pain that he afflicted onto her.

"I'm so sorry, Q."

They stayed there until her crying had come to a halt. The less tears she shed, the tighter the teenager hugged her close to him. He felt like he could fix her by doing at least that.

"Thank you for this," she said while clearing her throat. "Can we do this more often? I promise not to cry anymore." She stuck her pinky up in the air as to keep a promise. He wrapped his pinky around hers, but knew her well enough to know that she would break that promise and end up crying once again. He wanted the pain to end, so he took a silent vow and challenged himself to make her whole again.

"Let's get you home, okay? We'll talk after glee." She nodded her head in agreement as he turned the truck back on and started backing out. She didn't even attempt sliding back into her seat so instead she stayed close to his side with his free hand grasping hers tightly.

* * *

**Lyrics:** "The Boy Who Blocked His Own Shot" by Brand New  
**A/N:** I thought that this was one of the only fitting ways to put their relationship in Puck's eyes, so it stuck. This was just an idea that I thought up of earlier and I'm going to run with it. I hope you all enjoy it and just know that there will be an update just around the corner 3


	2. The Ballad

The next day in glee club was particularly awkward when it came down to the two exes'. They smiled peacefully at each other in the halls, but that was about it. Puck said they'd talk about earlier that morning, but to be frank, neither of them wanted to actually spark up that conversation. It was something that the two of them needed, but it wasn't something that should keep happening, though it might have been the one cure to their problems.

They all sat down on the school's maroon chairs and gave their attention to Mr. Schuester who was arguing with Rachel about a solo that she wanted. The song was better for Mercedes and everyone knew it, yet she continued to stand her ground and take a fight for what she wanted. Finn tried holding her back, but she bickered on.

"Rachel," Schue was getting impatient, "just sit down and we'll talk after class." She let out a _'hmph'_ and sat down next to her football star boyfriend with a frown on her face. After making sure Rachel had finished trying to steal the spotlight, Schue went on to talk about this week's assignment: Ballads. "Does anyone know what a ballad is?" He asked the class, waiting for an answer.

"A male duck," Brittany blurted out. Some of her friends shook their heads, while others gave her a look of confusion. Santana told her that she was close and to ignore everyone around them. Brittany might have not been the brightest crayon in the box, but her friends didn't judge her too often anymore; they knew it was just the Brittany way. Mr. Schue went on to explain what the assignment was going to be and how they had to prepare a ballad to sing in front of the class. Puck thought that this was the perfect opportunity to share what he had worked on after dropping Quinn back off at her house. Now, while he was usually a rocker in front of his peers and teachers, he had a soft side.

"Mr. Schue!" He stood up and smiled. "I have something to share." Schue looked at him in surprise and let him come down and grab a guitar. Puck was ready to fool everybody, but soothe Quinn at the same time. It was another song about his stupidities, but it was something that was going to show her how he truly felt about everything that had happened between the two in the past year and a half.

He gracefully strummed his guitar in a quiet motion and started singing the words. "_Looking out the door I see the rain fall upon the funeral mourners, parading in a wake of sad relations as their shoes fill up with water. And maybe I'm too young to keep good love from going wrong, but tonight you're on my mind so you never know. When I'm broken down and hungry for your love with no way to feed it. Where are you tonight, child? You know how much I need it._" As Quinn sat next to her boyfriend, Sam, he started to realize the subtle smile that was making its way across her face. She looked blissful listening to his words. Sam started to worry, thinking that his friend was going to try to take her away from him, just like he had before with Finn.

"_Too young to hold on and too old to just break free and run. Sometimes a man gets carried away when he feels like he should be having his fun and too blind to see the damage he's done. Sometimes a man must awake to find that really, he has no one. So I'll wait for you and I'll burn. Will I ever see your sweet return? Oh, will I ever learn? Oh lover, you should've come over cause it's not too late._" All of Puck's peers listened to his voice as goose bumps ran up and down their bodies. You could hear the pain in his voice as he sang the words in a jazzy voice. The room was full of pure silence except him and his single acoustic guitar.

"_Lonely is the room, your bed is made; the open window lets the rain in. Burning in the corner is the only one who dreams he had you with him. My body turns and years for a sleep that will never come. It's never over, my kingdom for a kiss upon her shoulder. It's never over, all my riches for her smiles when I slept so soft against her. It's never over, all my blood for the sweetness of her laughter. It's never over; she's the tear that hangs inside my soul forever._" This point in the song, Mr. Schue finally realized what was going on. From the look upon Puck's face and from the look on Quinn's. Both of them were off in their own little world, reflecting upon their past mistakes that they had made as a terrible couple. Maybe it was the overprotective feeling in the young teacher, but his parental instincts kicked in. They were too young to feel such pain and they were definitely too young to relate to such a smooth alternative song. Yes, Mr. Schue had felt these feelings, but for two seventeen year-olds, it wasn't fair to them. They should be happy, carefree, and full of laughter and light; not deep, sorrowful darkness. Schue's heart had a violent ache deep inside, wishing he could take this away from the two.

"_Well maybe I'm just too young to keep good love from going wrong. Oh lover, you should come over cause it's not too late. Well I feel too young to hold on and I'm much too old to break free and run. Too deaf, dumb, and blind to see the damage I've done. Sweet lover, you should've come over. Oh, love well, I'm waiting for you. Lover you should've come over, cause it's not too late._"

The entire group was stunned that Puck was letting such emotion flow through his song choice. It was almost as if you could hear the young Jeff Buckley glide through the young teenager when he was singing away softly to the class. His focus was on Quinn as he sat in his stool in the middle of the choir room. For the first time, he sang about something that wasn't silly. This wasn't "Fat Bottomed Girls" or "The Lady Is a Tramp", this was something that mattered deeply to him and not just a clever ploy to get a girl to either get into bed with him or date him for his sake and not hers. In Quinn's mind, it flashed back to the day where he got up there with some of the other guys in Glee and sang "Beth" to Quinn, asking her to name their baby girl that very name.

Sam still felt a sting of jealousy knowing that the song was so heart-felt and directed towards the girl that he had promised everything to. Why would she want Puck anyway? He wasn't all too good for her or anyone at McKinley high school for that matter. This was Noah Puckerman, the badass, the rebel, the bully, the heartbreaker. He wasn't soft or sensitive, but he had a way with the ladies that made Sam hate him most of the time. Santana was another one feeling some jealousy. Over the past few years of high school, she had grown protective over Puck. In her head, he was her property and no one should've been able to touch him but herself.

"Wow," Mr. Schue finally said, shaking his head in utter disbelief, "everyone give it up for Puck. That was great, man; fantastic job." The mohawked boy nodded his head in his teachers' way as a silent thank you. Passing Quinn on the way back to his seat, he realized that her eyes were following him. Maybe it made a little impact. Those words that were written by the late musician were the ones that his head was dying to get out. He also promised himself to never sing such a song in front of a group again. They were all too silent and taken away. Though his ego grew from their silent reactions and the way their jaws dropped during his performance. He smiled to himself in a proud way, just waiting to see what would come from all of this.

* * *

"That was something," Quinn chuckled while walking up to Puck who was kneeled down by his locker. From the look of it, he didn't know what books he actually needed for the rest of the afternoon. It's not like he ever knew what class he was in; he was too busy thinking of better things and sleeping during lectures.

"Best thing you've ever heard, right?" He asked with a crooked smile while still trying to figure out what class he had next. He eventually gave up and piled four books into his backpack and if they were the wrong books, he didn't exactly care that much anyway.

"Like I said," she sighed, "it was something."

"You don't sound as joyful as I thought you would. I thought you'd be dying to take another spin on the Puckasaurus later tonight." He threw a wink at her and stood up to meet her height. She wanted to vomit at his words. He was too cocky for his own good.

"I have a boyfriend," she warned him; flashing the small silver ring that Sam had given her. He rolled his eyes since it didn't matter to him at all and at this point, it probably didn't matter too much to her either.

"Has Big Mouth McGee ever serenaded you with Jeff Beckley in public?" He asked as they walked towards their next class.

"You really shouldn't have done that, Puck."

"And why's that?"

"Sam." That's all she had to say, but he wouldn't take the mental note to not do anything too extreme in front of him. She sat down in her seat and left Puck to walk towards the back of the class where he was seated. He felt defeated, but he knew better than that. Throughout the rest of the period, Puck looked ahead of him at the head of wavy, blonde hair that fell oh-so perfectly on her shoulders. She wore a pink dress and a white cardigan over it and for many unknown reasons, this captivated the young man. Noah Puckerman was still in love with Quinn Fabray, whether he wanted to admit that to himself or not. Under the desk, he pulled out his phone and tried thinking of a nice text to send to Quinn, but instead, it came out plain.

**To: Q  
**_I'm picking you up at 10:30 tonight. Be ready._

* * *

**A/N: **Thank you thus far for the follows, favorites, and reviews. It means a lot to me that you're diggin' the stories and updates so far. Please continue to do all three of those things because they make me a happy girl. If you're not a fan of people jumping right into stories, then I'm sorry. It's how I'm working on these ones. **_  
_****Song:** "Lover, You Should've Come Over" by Jeff Buckley.  
If you're a fan of smoother songs, I definatly recommend listening to his album Grace. Sadly, he passed away before putting together another full-length album, but it's full of amazing songs. Another artist to recommend that will probably pop up somewhere in this story is Rufus Wainwright. If you haven't heard "Cigarettes and Chocolate Milk" by Rufus, you're missing out on a joyous ride. Actually, that song was mentioned by Mark in a Glee interview, and from there I fell in love with that artist.


	3. The Birds

Quinn waited outside of the house while she idly waited for Puck's truck to pull up. As time went by slowly, she thought that he had ditched her. "Come on, Puck," she mumbled to herself. The air was getting chilly in the autumn, causing the girl to pace back and forth trying to warm up a bit. Ten minutes to eleven, Puck rolled up. Quinn was frustrated that she had waited an extra twenty minutes outside. It was hard for her to sneak out of the house either way, but this was unacceptable to her. "You're late," she hissed at the teenage boy who was currently blasting some Pantera song that made Quinn's skin crawl. She reached across from her seat and turned off the radio in an angry fashion.

"Took me a while to get out of the house," he stated, "I do have a curfew, ya'know?" She glared at him, piercing him with her hazel eyes. For such a petite thing, she sometimes frightened Puck. She knew exactly how to stand her ground and scare people off so they wouldn't repeat their mistakes again. Puck drove in the same direction they had gone the night before, not knowing where else the two should go. It took about ten minutes to get to the old, abandoned park from Quinn's house and the entire way there, there was nothing but pure silence. Once they had parked, the girl crossed her arms against her chest and waited for Puck to say something so she didn't have to start a conversation. Finally, he did. "No sweats tonight, Q?" He teased her. Nothing else was coming to mind, but he had noticed that she wore actual clothes and wore make-up.

"I thought I'd look somewhat decent tonight."

"Well, if you wanted my opinion, you look stunning in whatever you wear." He was talking in a softer tone, making Quinn take notice that he was being completely honest. She couldn't help but to try to hide a smile from him; she was even blushing a little. "Race you to the swings?" In an instant, Quinn's mood went from completely pissed off to playful. Instead of saying anything, she got a head start and opened up her door, slamming it shut, and ran her way towards the swing set. Puck didn't even try to catch up seeing that he had to take the keys out of the ignition and still open his door. In the dark distance, he heard Quinn's cheerful laugh as she sat down on the squeaky swing that had rusted chains.

Once he walked up to her, he saw a silhouette of a smile on her face. She was better than she was last night and earlier that day which made Puck feel accomplished. He always wanted Quinn to loosen up and to stop being uptight all the time. Most of all, she wanted to take away her sadness. "You lose, Puckerman." She started to lean back and pump her legs to get as high in the sky as she could. Being here made her feel like a kid all over again.

"That wasn't even fair," he pouted. He stood behind his friend and started to push her in order for her to be able to go faster and higher on the swing. She was letting out loud, nervous giggles, thinking that she was going to fall if Puck pushed her hard enough. He came to a sudden halt, stopping the swing with his hands to stop her from swinging. "My turn, Fabray." He shoved her off of the swing and sat down in her place.

"There's five other swings, why do I have to give up mine?"

"Because that's how friends work!"

They were acting like children at this point. They were both stubborn and full of joyful laughter. Quinn did refuse to push Puck on the swing, but he chased her towards the slides in a hurry. After a few minutes of running around the place, Quinn came to a stop. The gratified mood shifted itself into a dull, depressed one. "Hey," Puck said once he noticed in the darkness. He started to worry, not knowing why she suddenly stopped having fun. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." She let out a sharp breath.

"We lived together for quite a while," he explained, "I know when you're lying." Puck place his hands on both of her arms and rubbed them up and down.

"It's just that we should be doing this with _her_... Not all by ourselves." She couldn't say her name and she's never been able to. Even if someone is talking about a different Beth, it would depress her; she regretted everything. His heart sank knowing that she was right. It bothered him too, but he was trying to cheer her up, not trying to bring her down even more.

"Quinn, I brought you here to have fun. Not to let your mind run a million miles a second." He pulled her into a big hug and held her tight. Though it was a nice gesture, she wanted to cry, but held back her tears. She was going to keep her promise not to cry. "Let's have some fun, okay? You're with me, so it's always a great time." The cockiness was back in his voice, but for now it made her let out a small laugh.

"You're kind of amazing. Do you know that?" When those words slipped out of her mouth, she started to turn a rosy pink color. The girl was thinking out loud. For some reason, she didn't want him to know those thoughts since it made her feel like she was cheating on Sam through words.

"Everybody knows that." He looked down at her with a crooked smile and she pulled out of his arms, slapping him across the chest. "Oh, c'mon. You know they do." She started to walk away into the dark night and Puck lost sight of her for a few seconds until he heard the piercing squeaking noise of the chains on the swings. "I thought I lost you."

"You can always find me at the swings." Her voice was chipper. She closed her eyes and swung back and forth in a relaxing motion. When she was on them she floated back to her childhood; wishing that she would've stayed seven years-old for the rest of her life. Growing up is always a hard thing for teenagers to do, especially when your child is floating around out there with her new mom. "I'd ask you to sing to me, but I think you've done enough of that in the past twenty-four hours."

"I am always willing to sing to you." _Maybe it's because I love you_, he thought to himself. _And maybe I shouldn't have said that._

Quinn shook her head, trying to shake the thought that he even said that. Being in Puck's arms and hearing his voice in a soothing song made her feel more content than she ever did. After a few moments she asked what time it was and Puck responded that it was almost one. They didn't know they had spent that much time laughing in silence while chasing each other around like two crazy children trying to drop all of their troubles for one night.

"Should we be going?" Quinn asked finally getting off of her swing. It was Puck's queue to start walking back to his truck. She was always the controller out of the two of them. On the way back to her house she plugged in her iPod and put on one of her favorite comforting songs, "Birds" by Emiliana Torrini. Though she hated herself for doing it, she unbuckled her seatbelt and placed her head on Puck's shoulder. They were lost in their own world, feeling completely serene. Though it wasn't his type specific type of music, he loved it because she did, even though it was something he'd never listen to on his own.

_I don't want to close my eyes, don't want to leave the stage right now_  
_Hear the leaves applaud our stay_  
_Lend me your wings and teach me how to fly_  
_Show me when it rains the place you go to hide_  
_And the curtains draw again and bow another day and the leaves applaud the wind_

As Quinn opened her door to leave him for the night, she started to panic and told him what was on her mind. "Don't mention anything about this to Sam, okay?"

"I won't," Puck chuckled at her.

"Promise me, Noah." Noah. She only called him that when she was either angry or being serious. Nintey percent of the time he was Puck even though he wanted her to see the softer side of him. The side of him that was actually more of a Noah.

"I promise."

"Same time tomorrow?" She subtly smiled and he flashed her a grin that stretched from ear to ear.

"Of course," he beamed, "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Goodnight." She smiled knowing that she'd actually get a sound sleep tonight. He left her with a goodbye and drove away. Before sneaking back into the house, she started humming "Birds" and decided that it would now remind her of him. Maybe she should sing it in glee, but maybe Sam would start to get more suspicious than he already was. No song should make a girl smile like that unless it meant that it was more than just a song.

Both of the teenagers went to bed that night with a smile on their faces, a song in their hearts, and thoughts of each other in their heads. For the first time in a long time, they slept peacefully.

* * *

**A/N:** Aye, darlings! Thank you all for the follows, favorites, and reviews. You're all amazing. Keep up with the feedback, please. It helps.


	4. Foolish Love

For the two Lima, Ohio teenagers, it had now been almost two weeks that they have been sneaking out of their houses every night and going to the park, the 7-Eleven, or to the lake. Lucky for Quinn, she still hadn't been caught sneaking out of her house, but Puck defiantly was and when his mother caught him, his only response was, "_I have to help Quinn_" and he was let out of the house in an instant. His mother understood through the desperation in his voice and the worried look upon his face.

Tonight, the two lay out at the lake. It was serene out there – you could only hear the noise of crickets and a few animals and absolutely no noise from inside the town. It was a Saturday which meant that there was some booze involved on Puck's side, but he couldn't help it. Saturday's were meant for partying, not escorting someone all around town.

"You know," he started to take a sip from the bottle, "Lima isn't half as bad as everyone thinks." This made Quinn think. She was desperate to get out of this hell-hole of a town, but maybe he was on to something. It was nights like this that she didn't mind Lima. She knew that she was going to eventually move on from here and everyone in it, but it wasn't going to be today. Lima was going to be the first eighteen years of her life, where her teenage years ran wild and mistakes were made left and right, but those mistakes turned her into a better person. Change is good. Change is great, in fact. "But you," he pointed at her with a shaky finger, "you will get out of here and make something of yourself. You have serious potential, Quinn Fabray. Whether you think so or not." It was the alcohol talking, for sure, but drunken words do speak sober thoughts. She smiled up at him and he saw the world inside of her eyes.

"You'll get out of here too," she told him with positivity in her voice, "you're not just a pool boy." She started laughing at those words. Puck loved cleaning pools and being his own boss, even if it wasn't even an actual job. He made money and got to clean pools for cougars, who could want more in life?

Three hours of laughter and mindless talking had been happening. It was almost two in the morning, but neither of them minded. Puck, for once in his life, went on and on about how much he enjoyed football and glee and his how his home life wasn't all too bad either. He might not have a dad around anymore, but that doesn't matter. Mr. Schuester and the rest of the guys in glee made up for that and they were making him better and stronger every day. He talked about how much he loves going to lakes to fish because they're always so peaceful and nothing could replace the stillness that fills the air. Quinn smiled and nodded along at everything he was saying. When she looked over at him, she was able to tell that these are things that he had been dying to tell someone, but never did for some reason. He bottled everything up at all times because Puck had to be the grade-A badass that everyone thought he was, so he couldn't waste any time sharing his thoughts and feelings with others. He thought he had to be emotionless and mean, but in reality, he didn't have to do that for anyone. Maybe it was the whisky loosening him up, but he went on and on for God knows how long.

Later on, after going on about himself, Puck started thinking that Quinn was getting worse in the past two weeks, even if she did say that she was happier now that they had been spending their nights together. Maybe it was because Sam was constantly on her case or because Sue was always bitching that he weight wasn't low enough and that her formation isn't as strong as it was since she had the baby. Quinn was once again captain of the Cheerio's, but that wasn't something she actually cared about. Puck looked over at her and noticed how fragile and frail she looked. The moonlight bounced off of her skin, leaving her to look like a porcelain doll. She was skin and bones at this point – nothing but weak muscle at this point. _105 pounds or less_, he thought. He didn't want to mention it after they had been up in high spirits, but she could've been faking it and maybe, yes, he did need to address it somehow.

"Hey," he said after looking her up and down, "when did you get so scrawny?" He gulped. He didn't know how to say it any better than that.

"Well, first off, I'm not pregnant anymore." Her voice was flat. It felt like he was insulting her or if he had forgotten that she had gained weight and dropped it. Quinn was one of the lucky girls since she barely gained weight during her pregnancy, but it was enough to notice. Of course it was due to the fact that there was a living thing growing inside of her, making her stomach bulge out.

"I didn't mean that you were ever fat, Q. I'm just saying, you look smaller than you ever have before." It was true. Bones were poking through her skin, sticking out in a perfect, yet gross way. Her legs, stomach, and arms may have been toned, but through her sweatshirt, you could see her spine stick out and the bones in her shoulders poke through. It wasn't something that was all too attractive and it worried him. "Have you even been eating?"

Quinn laughed it off in a _what kind of question is that?_ way.

After she didn't respond using words, Puck glared at her. "You haven't been, have you?" This concerned him more than he was actually aware of. Something about the thought of her starving herself wasn't something that he wanted to think about, but it had to be addressed. "Two weeks and I haven't seen you eat while we've been out or at school. So tell me the truth."

"Look," she groaned and rolled her eyes, "I have to get down to a better weight to be on the Cheerio's. You know how Sue works. She's brutal. I'm literally starving, but whatever keeps my position on the squad, ya'know?"

He scoffed as if he was appalled by her words. "That's insane, _Quinn_."

"It has to happen, _Puck_." It was like his name tasted like poison in her mouth. She couldn't figure out why he sounded like he didn't believe her. In her eyes, it was the truth. Sue would do anything to get her squad looking their best; even if it meant for them to look sick.

He gently grabbed her by the wrist and tried using a softer tone. "You're scaring me." He whispered. Quinn saw a vulnerability in his face, something that he didn't show often and when he did, it was in secret. Was this the alcohol? Was this actually _Noah_ coming out? And was he actually scared for her? Quinn's mind was going through question's that ran through her mind as if her brain was on a treadmill that was on its highest speed.

"Well, let it scare you all you want. It's something that's necessary."

"I doubt that, but okay." Puck stood up from the blue and white blanket that they had been laying on and started walking towards his truck. "Come on," he called behind him, "you're driving." The night wasn't over, but Puck had an idea, but didn't know exactly what to do. He was genuinely scared for her well-being and had a hunch that it wasn't only to do with Sue Sylvester. Quinn grunted in frustration as she stood up and started folding the blanket. To the right of her, she spotted an almost empty Jack Daniel's bottle and paranoia struck her instantly. She wrapped as tight as possible in the blanket just incase they were pulled over for some unknown reason. "You coming, Fabray?" Puck yelled as he climbed into the passenger seat and sloppily threw his keys in Quinn's direction where they landed right in front of her feet. Climbing into the truck felt weird and foreign. She had never been behind the wheel of a truck and quite frankly, she hated it. Before turning the key, she shoved the blanket with the hidden bottle underneath Puck's seat. "Just don't kill us," Puck sneered.

Quinn drove through the grass and back up onto the dirt roads while Puck started to fool around with the radio. All that they heard was loud static while he tried to grab a CD that had fallen under the seats. The girl growled under her breath as Puck slurred directions to her. She didn't know where he was leading her and she definitely did not have a good feeling about it either. Drunk Puck wasn't always a fun Puck.

Through the speakers, a piano started playing and a deeper voice started singing. It sounded majestical. Quinn listened to Puck's song of choice in deep thought.

_I twist like a corkscrew, the sweetness rising_  
_I drink from the bottle, weeping_  
_Why won't you last? Why can't you last? _  
_So I will walk without care, beat my snare,_  
_look like a man who means business_  
_Go to all the poshest places with their familiar faces,_  
_terminate all signs of weakness_  
_Oh, all for the sake of a foolish love_  
_I will take my coffee black, never snack_  
_Hang with wolves who are sheepish,_  
_flow through the veins of town, always frown_  
_Me and my mistress, the princess_  
_Oh, all for the sake of a foolish love_

It was pure jazz. It felt like it was taking her back to decades that she had never even lived in. The piano was sweeping and the voice was as smooth as melting chocolate, making her feel like she had to stop and catch her breath. A smile rose upon her face after hearing the song and getting into it. "Who is this?" She finally asked after taking in the words and every single beat, every note of his voice.

"Rufus Wainwright," Puck chuckled. It was so unlike him, but lately, everything he had been showing her was very unlike him. It was too calm, too deep, too sad, too... _Noah_. "Pull over here," he demanded and Quinn did as she was told. They pulled into the parking lot of a roadside diner that was in between the town and its outskirts. "I'll be right back," he told her as he moved on out of the truck with a small, mischievous grin. A drunk, underage Noah Puckerman was about to make his way into a small diner in the middle of basically nowhere.

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**A/N:** This chapter was split in half with the one that will come after this. The full thing was over three thousand words and I didn't really think it was necessary for one chapter. So this night/chapter will be continued.

Thank you all for the favorites/follows/reviews. I love it so much. If you would like, I'm going to start taking requests on what to write in future chapters. I'm not out of ideas, but I don't want the story to get too dull and for everyone to stop reading it. Please keep reviewing because I'm selfish and I absolutely love your guys' comments. I'll be posting the next chapter soon 3


	5. Safest Place

Quinn stared at him through the window the diner, making sure that he acted normal from his movements and body language. From the looks of it, everything was going smooth. He smiled at her through the window and not being able to control it, she smiled back. He was wearing jeans and a simple grey sweatshirt with a black wife beater underneath it. She wasn't able to lie to herself and say she wasn't attracted to him because she truly was and hated herself for thinking so. He stumbled out of the diner with milkshakes, root beer, and two bags of food. He climbed back into the truck and the scent hit Quinn's nose in an instant. It smelled so much better than she had imagined it to. "Wait, that's not root beer," Quinn acknowledged with confusion, "how the hell did you manage to get beer?" She didn't like alcohol herself, but she didn't mind if others drank. If she truly needed it, she would have it, but tonight wasn't the night for that.

"Everybody loves the Puckster," he said while motioning his body to show it off. He flashed her a cocky smile and Quinn looked back at him dumbfounded. Instead of responding, she tried reaching for one of the bags that was sitting on Puck's lap. He laughed as he moved it away from her hand. "We're not eating here, Q. Let's go back home."

_Home_.

Quinn wished that her home was with Puck and Beth, but it was something that wouldn't happen. She was back with her mother whether she liked it or not. Sometimes living with Puck and his mom was too much to handle, but it felt more like a family and more like a home to her than anywhere else did. She pulled out of the parking lot and kept her eyes on the road in front of her as Marvelous 3's "Cigarette Lighter Love Song" played lightly through the speakers. Tears filled her eyes, but she was trying to be strong enough to hold them back for Puck's sake.

_All that I do, comes back to you  
So I'll just think about you till there's nothing in my head  
All I can do is try not to screw this up again and just be friends  
I'd rather be dead  
Everything's supposed to have a happy ending,  
but the record keep skipping and the needle keeps bending  
Like the road I'm driving to the bridge that has no end  
I wanna take back everything that I've broken,  
but the bridges behind me are burning and smoking  
I guess this is the end_

By the time the five minutes and six seconds song was over, she pulled onto Puck's street with a sigh. Why did he have to play such emotional songs? Was he _that_ sad about everything? Did he love and miss her _that_ much? These are questions that Quinn desperately wanted answers to, but she knew she'd never have the guts to ask. Puck wobbled into his house carrying everything while Quinn went ahead of him to unlock the door. His mom and little sister weren't even there, so they proceeded to go into the kitchen to devour the greasy, tasty food. For a few minutes, Quinn stared at a paper plate that held a burger and fries. She saw the grease dripping off the burger and how soggy the fries were. She didn't want to touch them; she couldn't gain any weight. Maybe it was her way of coping and maybe Sue didn't have anything to do with it for the most part.

"Eat up," Puck demanded with a soft voice. He was already working his way towards his second burger with food all over his face. He popped open one of the beers and passed it to her. She shook her head and declined, so he put the bottle to his lips and started chugging it.

_Liquor before beer, you're in the clear_, he thought to himself with a shrug.

Quinn kept staring at her food with her hands in between her legs under the table. She wasn't able to want the food, but she wanted to make Puck happy. Maybe, in the morning, he wouldn't remember that she refused to eat, but that probably wasn't possible. He always remembered what happened the night before, no matter how much alcohol he had consumed. Finally, she worked up the courage to pick at her burger, slowly peeling off the top of the bun and chewing it. It tasted like heaven – she wanted it so bad, but she didn't want to want it. "Eat," Puck demanded once more. It was like he was reading her mind.

Over forty minutes had passed, she had finished half of her burger and fries and offered the rest to Puck who gladly accepted it. The munchies had kicked in and he looked like he was ready to eat everything in sight.

Standing up to toss out the wrappers, he sighed. "I can't really take you home tonight… for obvious reasons." Quinn stretched her arms out on the table and laid her head on her arm, shutting her eyes.

"Are you inviting me to stay here?" There was an obvious smile in Quinn's voice. She knew it was wrong, but it was something that she'd enjoy. Sam popped into her mind, but she shook those thoughts away. Something told her that they wouldn't be together for much longer and that it'd be her fault, breaking his heart. She didn't want him to be heartbroken, but she most safe with Puck… or Noah, or whoever he was when he was with her. He was sensitive and open lately and it didn't concern her as much as it would another girl. She liked it. She liked seeing Noah instead of Puck. Of course, she loved Puck, but there was something about Noah that she loved. Maybe it was the music, or the gentleness, the sweetness, or the way he hugged her. This wasn't a normal thing for any teenage boy who acted like such a badass at all times. He was the boy who threw kids in the dumpsters, not the boy who stood by a girl and wiped her tears away.

"It's almost five," she said in an undertone, "wanna sleep off your inebriation?" Puck nodded his head with a sleepy look on his face. She giggled at him a little. There was shyness in her eyes and her cheeks were turning a deep rose color. He stood up and offered her a hand to stand up. He led her upstairs into his room. Quinn looked around, noticing that it was the same way since she moved out. Horribly messy.

They both climbed into bed with their clothes still on. Neither of them felt the need to change – they were too tired for that. The boy pulled her as close to him as possible and wrapped his arms around her. She almost felt too safe. "Puck?" He let out a '_hm'_ to let her continue. She gulped loudly and prayed that he wouldn't remember her words in the morning. "I hope you know that you've always been my safest place to land." She bit her bottom lip with a vengeance and closed her eyes tight. He tried to hug her tighter without breaking her and nestled his face into the back of her head, taking in the scent of her hair and trying to kiss her without noticing.

"I don't know how, but I'm happy to hear it." He sounded so happy about it, almost like a little kid who got a new toy. She thought saying that would be a horrible decision and that she'd get the worst possible response, but she got exactly what she wanted to hear. "Goodnight, Quinn."

"Goodnight, Noah."

They both fell asleep with the biggest smiles on their faces. It felt so wrong, but it never felt so right before. It was a place that they always wanted to be in. This was true happiness and maybe it was true love, but neither of them could be exactly sure.


	6. Screaming Infidelities

A week later, the couple was sitting in Puck's truck yet again. It had been three days since they had seen each other and it was driving them both insane. Quinn was now sobbing with her head buried in Puck's shoulder. He tried to stop her crying by making lame jokes and singing, but nothing had worked. "He hates me!" She shouted yet again through her tears. She had broken up with Sam just an hour ago since he found out that she had ditched him to see Puck on a nightly basis. Quinn tried to make things right between the two of them for the past few days, but it didn't help. Sam was jealous and there was nothing that she could do about it. His excuse was that she seemed happier around Puck than she did around him and the way she looked at Puck when they passed each other or stared at each other in glee… it was something that Sam Evans couldn't match up to in Quinn's heart. They weren't meant to be together and though Sam was angry over all of it, it didn't mean that he hated her, but she couldn't get that through her thick head.

"Stop," Puck rolled his eyes, "he doesn't hate you." It was one of those times that Puck regretted answering the phone almost three weeks ago. He shouldn't have agreed to come pick her up because if he hadn't done so, she wouldn't be a wreck and she'd be happy with Sam. He didn't think that he could make her as happy as Sam could. "Just calm down, Q. It'll be alright."

She peered up at the mohawked boy with a red, blotchy face and whimpered like a wounded animal. Her breathing was uneven and Puck could tell that once again, she wanted to go full blast with the tear fest. Her pretty eyes made perfect contact with his. "You look like shit," he laughed at her. She scrunched her eyebrows together, not able to tell that the laugh was his way of saying that she looked cute. One corner of his lip went up in a half grin as he grabbed her hand and placed it in his, lacing their fingers together. He started stroking his thumb up and down the length of her hand to see if that would make her calm a little more. When it started to work, he put the mixed CD back on and pulled her into his chest. He hummed along to Dashboard Confessional and waited for her to be completely silent. "You better?" He asked in a gentle voice. She nodded her head while taking in his scent. "Wanna go somewhere?" This time, she shook her head.

"Can we just sit here?" Her voice was quiet and sleepy. Looking down, he could tell that she was all worn out from crying. Her face was the perfect shade of pink now and her mascara was no longer on her eyelashes, but it wasn't on her face either. Puck wondered how it could be, but then he remembered that Quinn was perfect and the universe wouldn't curse her with runny makeup. He lifted up their hands so they were in midair and waved them around in slow motions as if they were slow dancing while keeping still in their seats. After a minute or so, Puck looked passionate about what he was doing and it made Quinn let out small giggles. His eyes were shut and his face looked so concentrated as he swayed their hands to the beat of the unplugged version of "The Places You've Come to Fear The Most". It made Quinn smile wide and she tried to hide it, thinking that she shouldn't be smiling at a time like this when she was supposed to be sad. That was the thing about Puck: He could make her happy in the strangest ways, even when he was doing something simple and wasn't trying to cheer her up. She sat up and leaned in closer so her head was in the crook of his neck as he continued to move their hands while she smiled at them.

Without thinking, Quinn reached her head up a few inches and kissed his jaw ever so lightly. It made her jolt back. She was in shock of what she had done and started hoping that he didn't even notice, but when their hands suddenly stopped moving and his head tilted to peer down at her, she knew that he felt the subtle kiss. A cocky smile rose upon his face, but the boy stayed absolutely silent. This is what he wanted, but it was something that he still wasn't going to get. Was being with the girl he loved too much to ask for? In Quinn's world it was and that's something Puck had to deal with. Quinn bit her pink lips as the song ended and faded into "Screaming Infidelities".

"That, uh," Quinn stuttered, "it, uh… didn't mean what you think it did." His smile turned into an immediate frown. "Let's just go home."

"Already?" He chuckled. They had only been out for a couple of hours. She's the one who made the move, she shouldn't be so frightened that she had to leave him so soon. Puck didn't understand why she wanted to go already, but then he remembered how tired she looked.

"Your house, Puckerman." She laughed. She was ready to stay with him yet again. It was what both needed and maybe it was a step in the right direction for their could-be relationship. If Puck couldn't get anything from her, he could settle for sharing a bed. It was his favorite thing to do. Sex didn't have to be involved with Quinn – with her it was completely different. Holding her throughout the night was enough for him and that's what scared him about this girl. He thought he was too young to feel this way or like he should be running away, screwing every girl in Lima that he could before getting out of this small town. Maybe it was what his father did to his mother that made him so scared of actually loving a girl. He didn't want to break her heart and he knew he was damn well capable of doing so because Quinn was more fragile than she led on.

The first night they spent the night together was when Quinn was still pregnant and had to move in with the Puckerman's. It was that very night that Puck realized that he cared a lot more about Quinn than he thought he did. He actually loved this girl and it wasn't only because she was carrying his child. Having sex with her in the first place was different from all the other girls and he even told her that. It wasn't just sex for him for some reason. In his head, it was special and it wasn't only because she was a virgin. When Puck thinks back to both of those specific nights, his heart races. How could one small framed girl make him feel such things? He was the badass of Lima, the one who threw the nerds in dumpsters and rebelled against authority figures. So what was it about Quinn that made him shake in his boots? Almost literally, actually.

Once they arrived back at the house Quinn was halfway asleep and Puck decided to be nice and carry her from the car all the way upstairs to his room. He laid her on the bed gently and she was almost asleep before Puck could even crawl in next to her. He smiled at the sight and pulled the covers up over both of them. As he pulled her close to him, the smile grew even wider. He drifted off to sleep knowing that he almost had the girl. In fact, he did have her, but he wasn't so sure that she wanted him back.

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**A/N:** I know this isn't the best chapter I've ever wrote, but I knew it had been some time since my last update, so I decided to write one as quickly as possible today. I didn't really have any idea of what to write, so it'd be great if you guys could suggest something for story lines and whatnot for later chapters.  
Thank you all for your reviews, favorites, and follows. Keep doing so. And if you want, go check out my other Quick fan fiction called Paint You By Numbers. Love you all!


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